Good Research Paper On Treatment And Medications

Psychology; Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a psychological condition where an individual think of the “perceived” flaws on a daily basis (Veale, 2004, p. 67). It can as well be described as a negative psychological condition that individuals perceive themselves, which could be real or not, and these people could take hours per day thinking about these “negatives”. Often, such people focus on their imperfections, especially the physical features of their body, which would make them fret about these features and at no point would they believe anyone who comments positively on them. Notably, many people would complain abut their body features but would end up not realizing that it is a condition tat could cause too much emotional distress and would interfere with daily activities (Neziroglu & Yaryura-Tobias, 1993, p. 430). Thus, this paper seeks to address BDD, focusing on related therapies and medications to such psychological condition.

Individuals with BDD are always hesitant to seek help; low self-esteem being one of the determinants and the tendency of not wanting to open up to seek opinion and help (Neziroglu & Yaryura-Tobias, 1993, p. 390). Treatments of BDD vary from the cause, which could be genetic or could be due to chemical imbalance in the brain, though there has been no specific cause of it (Veale, 2004, p. 70), despite the “embarrassment” that comes with this condition. Notably, the level of BDD is what will determine the treatment, which ranges from the two types of therapies (Neziroglu & Yaryura-Tobias, 1993, p. 427).

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a treatment therapy that takes an individual with BDD condition through a session that seeks to change the perspective of what he/she thinks about himself/herself (Neziroglu & Yaryura-Tobias, 1993, p. 433-435). Eventually, this will change the way of thinking and behavior of an individual after going through a series of agreements and goal achievements. CBT takes an individual through graded exposure and response, which is the most important part of this kind of therapy. Often, it puts the individual in the situations which he/she founded obsessively associated with, and eventually he/she is taught how to deal better with it. This therapy helps the individual deal better with situations, as well as give the patient enough tools to use while the doctor is away and ensures the patient is involved in practices tat will boost his/her perception of their own body (Veale, 2004, p. 71).

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) is another form of therapy, which involves the uptake of serotonin chemicals that are meant to increase serotonin component of the brain. This therapy is used for extreme cases of BDD, which increases the level of information transmission in the brain. Another chemical tat can be used in substitute is fluoxetine, depending on the extent of BDD (Perugi et al. 1996, p. 248-250). Once these drugs are administered, the doctors prescribe a medication fro twelve months and the effects are normally witnessed after twelve weeks. The medication is a daily dose, which is meant to improve the nature of individual’s thinking as well as prevent relapse. Normally, the dosage does not stop once BDD condition has improved, but the dosage is minimized gradually as well to avoid withdrawal (Perugi et al. 1996, p. 249).

Conclusion

BDD is treatable, which starts from the perception and individual have towards themselves. In as much as people with BDD would try and hide their fears, still, it is the duty of people around such to help and make them change their perception and help them seek help from therapists as well (Veale, 2004, p. 68).

References

Neziroglu, F. A., & Yaryura-Tobias, J. A. (1993). Exposure, response prevention, and cognitive
Therapy in the treatment of body dysmorphic disorder. Behavior Therapy, 24(3), 431-438.
Perugi, G., Giannotti, D., Di Vaio, S., Frare, F., Saettoni, M., & Cassano, G. B. (1996).
Fluvoxamine in the treatment of body dysmorphic disorder (dysmorphophobia). International Clinical Psychopharmacology, 11(4), 247-254.
Veale, D. (2004). Body dysmorphic disorder. Postgraduate medical journal, 80(940), 67-71.